Greetings all. Looking for a reality check. We just got a bid to “de-lead” some painted woodwork in our house. It has been painted so many times that it has to be stripped, even though it is paint grade. A separate section is q-sawn oak underneith and needs to be tested….was painted in the 70’s so it may not be lead.
We got a bid and, using the de-leaders estimate for how long it will take, we’d be paying $53 per hour for thier services. That seems like a lot to me. Anyone have any thoughts on this. If it’s in the ballpark I might just change occupations.
Second Q: I’ve got a shop vac and can put a HEPA filter on it and can plastic the heck out of the place….is this a DIY job? Any suggestions for resourses on how to do it right?
Of course we have little ones….othewise I’d probably let it flake off on it’s own!
Thanks in advance for your input.
Replies
My question would be, why are you de-leading? Is this paint flaking off now?
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Some of the paint is beginning to peel, and it has been painted so many times that the details in the woodwork are being frosted over. It has obviously peeled in the past and been painted over, so the paint looks like crap.
>>Second Q: I've got a shop vac and can put a HEPA filter on it and can plastic the heck out of the place....is this a DIY job? Any suggestions for resources on how to do it right?
I doubt if a shop vac with a "hepa" filter is really a HEPA rated vac.
Maybe it's a DIY, but you'll need to do a lot more research into how to do it. Positive pressure - air locks, disposal, etc.
And, FWIW, there was a health news article out yesterday of a study linking long term lead exposure to cataracts .... we tend to associate lead with kids, but it can affect adults, as well.
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"Lead paint question"
Just did a few days ago.
Also if they are abatement pros, it may cost 2x what a normal painter would charge.
How that is defined - if they are there to remodel they need to be lead certified remodelers, if they are 'there to remove lead' then they need to be lead abatement pros.
Was licensed in Ma. to delead(95-96)and got out because its that scary to deal with.If you have kids under 10-they say 6 but I still worry at any age ,get it done.The price is market range for the east coast(N.E.) but may be too high for the rest of America.Explore removing the trim as an alternitive.here you can throw away the trim legally,but not the paint,go figure.
Thanks for adding, I said the same thing about the paint chips and sludge, and got rebuttals, but it might be a state thing. Im going to try to check with Environmental Specialists.
A lot of that cost is going to their insurance. a lot of the reason for that is that you have kids living there while doing the work.
I would not recommend subjecting children to that environment. The dust created in spite of the most carefuil practices, ove rthe course of a couple months johb will subject them to more exposure than a lifetime of living with flaking paint.
On a practical basis, they will only suffer lead poinsoning if they eat the chips now, unless your houskeeping is so bad that lead dust on sills is left laying around, whereas dust will be created in the abatement that will be inhaled instead of a mere possibility of ingestion. you will find it easier to control whether they eat paint chips than to control whether they breathe air.
So - if you go ahead with lead removal, you will need to move them out of the house, regardless whether you do it yourself or have it done. If you DIY, take a course first.
The HEPA filter will not turn the shop vac into a HEPA unit. Joints and seals are not leak free.
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piffin is absolutely right, but I would like to add about the chips, which I think I mentioned on the larger post:
just the normal use of windows and doors creates friction which turns the paint to dust. If chips are on the floor your normal vacuum motor will break them down into dust particles while bouncing up the tube, and by the motor.
Now the amount is going to vary based on the condition of the paint, a good start in knowing the risk is to get the house tested by a licensed lead tester, they will tell you the lead level and where it is the highest in the house.
Theoretically, you are right, but I believe the history of case studies shows that most lead poisoning situations exist in children now from ingested paint chips. In my class there was one case study of a family who forced their contractor to let them move back in before all the work was finished and the dog got sick. Tests determined that the mutt had lead poisonuing so they rtested the rest of the family, especially becasue the mother had been showing mild symptioms. Turns out that they all had it except the father who was fgone to work all day. The children had miold exposure rates as did a few of their friends who had been visiting. The mother had it bad 'cause she was in all day and night while the kids were playing in the yard more.The dog showed worst 'cause he was breathing and eating it while the family was only breathing it. This was in only a few weeks after moving into the unfinished job
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Even though it is dangerous I think the info is extremely interesting.
I was certified a few months ago and the stat they had was 80% of cases were from lead dust. But just like anything else, who knows.
As for the dog, its like the old Sweetwater Company, like antifreeze, the sweet taste of the lead might have had the dog, and I guess a kid coming back for more.
That's the point I'm trying to make. If 80% of poisoning is from lead dust, the way to avoid the dust is to encapsulate and not make any dust while the kids are present. Not a DIY at home project
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Thanks for all of the replys. Based partially on some of the info here our current plan is to have the place fully tested. There are three rooms that need to be stripped. I suspect that one of them has lead paint. If that ends up being the case, we will hire a pro to do that room and my wife and kids will camp at my in-laws while that work is going on. We'll also consider removing the wood work and having it done in the de-leader's shop. We can have it primed there and then rehang it at our place. The woodwork is very unusual and ornate...hard to just replace.
the non-lead areas (if we are lucky to have some) I will strip myself, but will still seal the area in plastic and get a true hepa, etc. just in case. Plus, the stripper fumes can't be good for the kids and wife.
I wish I could get the dog to chew it all off....that would take care of a separate problem!
Are you sure it is leaded?
Interior paint was often not leaded, even in the old days. Sometimes folks would 'use up' their exterior paint inside though. None of the interior paint in most of my house has lead. There is some on the beadboard walls, trim, and doors in the basement though. Same color as the old exterior color.
If the trimwork has lead, and is really special, I would carefully remove it, and strip it outside. Use heat gun, heat plate, or one of the non-toxic strippers. No lead in house, and working on a bench is so much easier than stripping in place. You will probably save more time on the stripping than it will take to remove the pieces, and the work is much more pleasant.
If the walls have lead, and are beyond repair, consider covering them with a veneer layer of 3/8 board. Then you can refit the trim over it.
Demoing plaster walls will make a lot of dust, and require careful containment. A veneer layer could save you a lot of time and money.
The wall are OK....they've been replatered. Some of the interior woodwork definately has lead. I've gotten a positive with a home lead test kit.
There definately seems to be some painted woodwork that does not contain lead as well. The wood in two of the three rooms was not painted untill the 60s or 70s. I think these will be ok. The third room, where the home lead test has shown positive, has been painted over and over again, since 1898.
Walt, those home kits are risky. The best method would be to have a Lead tester come with an xray (xrf), then you wont be risking that there may be lead in layers between or underneath.
In my mind a positive with the home lead test kit means I definately have some lead. A negative means I might have some lead. My wife is working on scheduling a professional lead inspector for the relevant rooms.
Interestingly enough, we had a lead inspector when we first bought the place. He came up with no lead in the room that I am getting a positive in with the home test kit. It will be interesting to see what a new inspector comes up with.
Home test touch sticks can render a false positive or a false negative quite often.
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I'll post after the lead inspector comes. I have definately gotten a positive test in one room.
I guess if they are going to err on one side or the other, better that I get a false positive than a false negative.